ADVANCED ENGLISH PROJECTS | Credit .5

Prerequisites: 2 successful semesters of English at the 11^th/12^th grade level, and a serious interest in pursuing an independent writing project.

This is a semester course (0.5 credits) for 11^th and 12^th graders, offered for Honors or Advanced level credit, by contract with the student. Students opting for Advanced credit would be expected to complete an additional critical research paper on work within the genre of their projects.

Students in this course will pursue independent writing projects, while participating in a collaborative class experience that will use reading, discussion, critical writing, conferencing, and peer critical workshops to develop skills and understanding. The projects may be poetry, fiction, non-fiction, or drama. Students will develop critical vocabulary and skills, as well as strategies for interpreting others’ text, developing personally meaningful material, and revising effectively.

To be eligible to take the course for Advanced credit, students must submit a letter describing their intended project and its genesis and importance to them (letters to be reviewed by the prospective teacher) and meet at least two of the following three criteria: 1. strongest recommendation of current teacher; 2. strongest rating on project proposal letter; 3. at least the following current grade average in English: 85 in AP, 90 in Honors, or 95 in CP.

INDEPENDENT STUDY | Credit: .5

Grades 11-12 Prerequisite: Departmental and administrative approval

The Independent Study Program is designed to allow any student in Grade 11 and 12 to study an area that is not offered in the regular curriculum. The student is assigned to a teacher who is most proficient in the field being studied. The student works on his/her own, and by meeting with the teacher and writing papers, demonstrates what he or she has been doing. The program offers a unique opportunity for a student to become involved in a subject which interests him/her. A student must receive approval of the department to participate.

The following steps must be followed in applying for an Independent Study:

1. Student contacts a teacher or member of a department to discuss the initial Independent Study topic. 2. Upon preliminary approval, the student selects a teacher with whom to work.

3. The student and teacher meet to discuss the proposed program and negotiate the contract.

4. The student, with the aid of the teacher, writes and signs the contract and has parents sign it.

5. The contract is reviewed and approved by the teacher, student, department and principal.

6. A copy of the contract is distributed to the student, teacher, guidance counselor and principal.

It should be noted that an independent study option is less structured than a traditional classroom situation. For this reason, an independent study, in some ways, is more demanding of the student. A student who qualifies for independent study must have exhibited in his or her classroom performance the necessary interest, aptitude and motivation to succeed. The teacher and/or department representative who approves a student for independent study, therefore, will consider the following: grades which the student has received, ability of the student to meet established coursed expectations, class participation, and interest exhibited in the subject by the student. In short, to succeed, it should be understood that the student is mature, motivated and a "self-starter."

All Independent Studies will be given a numerical grade, and credit designation will be determined by the principal.

THE INDEPENDENT PROJECT | Credits: 4

Grades 11 and 12 Prerequisite: Completion of application and interview process

Students will study four disciplines: science, history, math, and reading and writing. They will also work on an individual endeavor and a collective endeavor as a group. In each of the four disciplines, students will work the way someone working in that field would work (they would work like a scientist, a historian, a writer, etc.). For example, in science, a student might explore the natural world, make observations (and in so doing break down basic assumptions), and design and conduct experiments. In reading and writing, students will simply read and write. Each student selects a book they have never read but have always wanted to. Every student reads that book and then the group has a discussion facilitated by the one who chose the book. Finally, each student writes a piece that could be a reaction to the book, the next chapter of the book, or maybe something completely different but in the author’s tone. The best way to learn to write is to write often and to write things you care about. The best way to become an astute reader is to read things that 41 interest you and explore them with other readers. The individual endeavor will entail each student picking something they are interested in becoming an expert in. This could mean writing a novel, building a shed, designing computer programs, starting a social movement, or writing a play. Each student will connect with a mentor who is an expert in that field. The collective endeavor will entail the group picking a serious issue in the world, be it the financial crisis, water, education, or the environment, and pool together what they have gained from history and their individual endeavors to tackle the problem collaboratively. The program will last one semester and will be all day. The program will be open to any upperclassmen, and will be made up of 10 to 12 students. Interested students will write a preliminary application to the program, answering one or two questions. Guidance counselors will be encouraged to seek out students who would benefit from the program but who might not write an application by their own volition.

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM | Credit: 1.5 semester Grades 10-12 Prerequisite: None

This program provides individual training to students with professional or vocational interests in a specific field. It is based on the apprenticeship philosophy whereby students are placed with trades people and professionals who follow contract outlines and specific objectives. Because it is a training situation, students are not paid. Students are expected to provide their own transportation to and from the internship site.

SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECTS | Credit .5

Grades: 11 – 12

Level: College Prep/Honors

Prerequisite: Successful completion of 9^th and 10^th grade social Social Studies requirements

Students signing up for this course will be engaged in independent work, either individually or in small groups, that allows them explore, in substantial detail and depth, any topic that falls generally within the humanities and social sciences. The course’s primary objectives are to 1) allow students to engage in meaningful and substantive work on topics that they have determined have genuine value and interest to them, and 2) allow the teacher to work as a mentor and collaborator. 

VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL | Credit: .5

Grades 10-12 Prerequisite: Permission of guidance counselor and available seats

Virtual High School offers over 200 full semester on-line courses in arts, business, English, language arts, world language, life skills, math, science, social studies and technology. In addition, VHS offers 15 Advanced Placement full year courses.

Information about the Virtual High School may be obtained at: VHS Learning

Information about courses offered at Monument may be obtained from your guidance counselor.

WISE Independent Senior Experience | Credit: 2

Grade 12 Prerequisite: See below

WISE (Wise Individualized Senior Experience) offers all levels of students the opportunity to complete an extensive, in- depth project of their own creation and choice. The WISE opportunity empowers students to shape their own education outside the walls of school. The project can be academic, creative, service or career oriented, and the students spend about 20 hours a week on WISE. WISE students meet once a week with a staff mentor of their choosing and meet regularly with other WISE students. Students keep daily journals describing their progress. All WISE students, whether they are involved in a research project, an apprenticeship, or an artistic creation, work toward an oral and written presentation before the public and members of the WISE Task Force. The WISE Task Force is the steering committee for the program, and is composed of students, faculty, parents and community members. Members of the WISE Task Force in cooperation with the mentor evaluate students through the presentation. Mentors evaluate by reading student journals and interim reports. Mentors submit a written evaluation to the WISE coordinator. A WISE student will earn a pass or a fail for a grade.

Prerequisite: In the spring of their junior year, students must present a written proposal for approval of a WISE project before members of the WISE Task Force.